U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,782 describes an oval watercourse carrying sushi boats for service of small sushi plates to customers seated around the watercourse. As boats pass the customers, customers remove small plates of selected food items. A sushi chef usually stands in the center of the oval watercourse, preparing the small plates and then loading the plates onto the sushi boats. At least a few boats are always circulating, bringing different choices of food items to the customers. A restaurant can itemize food items taken by customers by identification associated with the plates.
In sushi dining, quantities of food are typically small and the varieties of sushi are impressive. A person desiring to sample many of the offerings of a restaurant may wish to remove samples slowly, so that each sample will have a higher probability of freshness.
Although sushi diners are frequently deliberate in selection and consumption of food items, experienced sushi chefs are fast. This creates a mismatch between the ability to prepare food and consumption of it. Frequently, restaurants will add seating, apart from a watercourse so that food preparation capacity may be utilized. However, patrons using the additional seating must order from a menu and do not enjoy the entertainment provided by the circulating sushi boats.
An object of the present invention was to improve dining service in sushi restaurants by expanding watercourse delivery of food items.